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The Fairy Nightcaps
The Fairy Nightcaps

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Fairy Nightcaps
Context Illustration Reading 1/91 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
FAIRY NIGHTCAPS.
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.
NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.
LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.
1861.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Fairy Nightcaps

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps is here in full — 458 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FAIRY NIGHTCAPS.
Line 2
BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.
Line 3
NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.
Line 4
LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.
Line 5
1861.

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

appleton noun US /ˈæpəltən/

English physicist remembered for his studies of the ionosphere (1892-1966)

From this reading “NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.”

author noun US /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading “BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.”

books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.”

britain noun US /ˈbrɪtən/

a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; “Great Britain” is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom

From this reading “LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.”

broadway noun US /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading “NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.”

fairy noun US /ˈferi/

a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading “FAIRY NIGHTCAPS.”

stories noun US /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading “BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.”

york noun US /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading “NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.”

All words in this reading · 26

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

16

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.

1861

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 1861.

443

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

445

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

APPLETONnounUS /ˈæpəltən/

English physicist remembered for his studies of the ionosphere (1892-1966)

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

AUNTnounUS /ænt/

the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

AUTHORnounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

BOOKSnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

BRITAINnounUS /ˈbrɪtən/

a monarchy in northwestern Europe occupying most of the British Isles; divided into England and Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland; “Great Britain” is often used loosely to refer to the United Kingdom

From this reading LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.

BROADWAYnounUS /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

COMPANYnounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

DnounUS /diː/

a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

ETC

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

FAIRYnounUS /ˈferi/

a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading FAIRY NIGHTCAPS.

FANNY'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

FIVEnounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.

LONDONnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading LONDON: 16 LITTLE BRITAIN.

NEWadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

NIGHTCAPnoun

an alcoholic drink taken at bedtime; often alcoholic

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

NIGHTCAPS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading FAIRY NIGHTCAPS.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

STORIESnounUS /ˈstɔːriz/

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading BY THE AUTHOR OF THE FIVE NIGHTCAP BOOKS, "AUNT FANNY'S STORIES," ETC., ETC.

YORKnounUS /jɔːrk/

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading NEW YORK: D. APPLETON & COMPANY, 443 & 445 BROADWAY.

Chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps by Aunt Fanny holds 458 sentences, grouped into 92 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps contain?

Chapter 1 holds 458 sentences of The Fairy Nightcaps, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps by Aunt Fanny exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 458 sentences, grouped into 92 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 1 of The Fairy Nightcaps?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Fairy Nightcaps

Common questions about reading The Fairy Nightcaps by Aunt Fanny on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fairy Nightcaps?

Yes. All 913 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28802 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fairy Nightcaps is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28802, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fairy Nightcaps take to read?

About 76 minutes of reading across 183 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fairy Nightcaps section by section

How to work through The Fairy Nightcaps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Fairy Nightcaps to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Fairy Nightcaps

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fairy Nightcaps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Fairy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fairy Nightcaps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nightcaps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fairy Nightcaps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fairy Nightcaps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nightcap
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fairy Nightcaps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.